Seek solace at Taratarini Shrine

BY: BIBHUTI BARIK

Bhubaneswar, May 18: When chief minister Naveen Patnaik started his electoral journey after paying an obeisance to the famous deity at Taratarini three weeks ago, people of Ganjam and the entire south Odisha were extremely happy.

Before beginning anything auspicious, an average person from undivided Ganjam district and the entire south Odisha would always seek blessings of Goddess Taratarini. It is believed that if you go to the temple with a wish in your heart, then it would definitely be fulfilled.

Situated in Raipura village under Purushottampur block in Ganjam district, lakhs of tourists from nearby areas in Odisha and also from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bengal visit the famous shrine.

The temple on the summit of a hillock is on the right bank of the beautiful and meandering Rushikulya river. The shrine is just 7km away from Purushottampur and 30km away from Berhampur.

Travel writer from Chhatrapur, district headquarters town of Ganjam, Sujata Patnaik, said: “Taratarini shrine has now achieved tremendous popularity for the twin goddesses Tara and Tarini. Both are ancient deities and were worshiped on the hilltop at a small temple for decades in the past. The original structure was demolished in 2005 and the new temple replaced the old one with the Kalingan temple architecture. With beautiful Khandolite stone the temple looks beautiful from the road near the foothill.’’

Nityanand Mondal, a visitor from Bhubaneswar, who came to the shrine with family said: “The ropeway has added a new dimension to the tourism scene. Unlike the ropeway at Nandankanan Zoological Park, which is abandoned now, the cars here give you a feeling of a safe ride. A person can also come to the hilltop without hiring a vehicle and go back by the ropeway.’’

The state government has also taken up widening of the road to the shrine that was earlier narrow. “The road widening work is a good step taken by the authorities. The endowment department should go for facilitating basic amenities near the shrine outside the temple compound,’’ said Nigam Nayak, a tourist, who came from Berhampur with friends.

The twin deities, crudely fashioned in stone, have beautiful silver eyes attached to them. Legends connect the deities to Sakta cult in the past.

Historians say that the Bhanja dynasty rulers of the former Ghumsar state in the undivided Ganjam district installed the enshrining deity. At present the endowment department looks after the temple, but Taratarini Development Board administers the day-to-day affairs.

Interestingly, monkeys in groups often create problems for visitors. “You must not flash a banana or coconuts openly while returning from the temple before getting into the vehicles. You should hide them with a dupatta or a bag,’’ said Nayak.

While the kalpa bata or the banyan tree which fulfils wishes is outside the temple and gets offerings of red scarves, bangles and clothes, a point near the gate also attracts visitors to put their offerings on a platform.

Offerings such as laddu and khichdi are available at a counter near a gate with a nominal price.

Getting there is easy as taxis and auto-rickshaws available at Berhampur and Chhatrapur. There are several places to stay. Moreover, there is a beautiful Panth Nivas run by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation near the hill. Rail and road links to Berhampur and Chhatrapur are available in plenty.

Source: The Telegraph 

Saraswati Sishu Vidyamandir, Nilakanthanagar, Berhampur maintains 100% record

The Saraswati Sishu Vidyamandir, Nilakanthanagar, has achieved a 100% pass for the 21st year in a row, with all its 231 students clearing the board examination.

While 31 students of the school grabbed A-1 (over 90% marks), 138 students got A-2 (80-89% marks), 45 students achieved B-1 (70-79% marks), 11 B-2 (60-69%). Each one student got grade C and D in the school.

S Mohan Rao, the principal of the school said the number of the A-I grade students was likely to increase when the board authorities re-check the Sanskrit answer scripts, as most of the students secured less marks in the paper. "We hope the board authorities will look into the matter," he stated.

The school was established in 1979. The first batch appeared in HSC examination in 1993. Since then, the school has been achieving 100% results, the principal said. "Some of our students might have figured in the top-100 lists in the state this year, as they have secured over 90% marks, said a teacher in the school. The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), however, did not publish the rank-holders' list this year.

Similarly, another school in town, Saraswati Sishu Vidyamandir, Ramahari Nagar, has also achieved cent percent results for the 12th year in a row. Four of the 159 students secured A-1 grade.

Principal of the school S Bisoi said some students missed out on the A-1 grade because they secured less-than-expected marks in the Sanskrit paper. Source: ToI 

World Bank to provide financial assistance to Odisha's Berhampur University

World Bank team assured financial assistance to Berhampur University to provide quality education. 

A World Bank team on Tuesday visited Berhampur University, which was severely affected by the Phailin last year, and held discussions with Vice-Chancellor Prof Dipak Kumar Behera on technical and financial assistance to the university.

The team comprising Kurt Laren, Soumi Saha and Nailin Jena which reached at Bhanja Vihar on Monday evening visited several departments, staff quarters and academic block on Tuesday morning and discussed on equity, governance, finance and preparedness of a comprehensive plan for higher studies with the university authorities.

University Registrar Prof Manmath Padhi and PG Councial Chairman Prof Prasanna Kumar Biswasray apprised the team on various issues and the university’s plan to improve quality of education. Sources said the team has assured of all supports, mainly financial assistance, to the university to provide quality education. http://www.orissadiary.com/

Berhampur buildings low on fire safety features

Basic norms as per National Building Code 2005 not adhered to in many structures

Although the city is witnessing a construction boom in the form of high-rise apartments and other buildings, it is alleged that none of the buildings is adhering to basic fire safety norms.

Fire and rescue officials of Berhampur have doubts about the safety of the high-rise buildings. As per norms all multi-storied apartments have to get their fire safety arrangements checked every year by officials and obtain no-objection certificates. But none of the multi storied apartments in Berhampur has opted for such checks nor do they apply for no-objection certificates from local fire office, said Deputy Fire Officer S.P.Behera.

The Fire department had brought this grave issue to the notice of the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) with the complaint that most of the builders of high-rise buildings were not contacting the department for maintenance of fire safety aspects

According to Mr Behera, officials of Berhampur on their own reviewed the fire safety measures in some of the high-rise apartments. They had found that the basic norms of fire safety according to National Building Code 2005 were not being adhered to. In many cases, apartments have no space for vehicles of fire brigade to move around. In Berhampur, the Fire department is yet to get large mechanical ladders that are used in fire fighting.

Officials allege fire extinguishers were not in proper condition and fear they may not work in case of a fire. Flow of water through pipes was not being checked regularly. The pipes may not work as heat may reach inner rubber lining of pipes. It was also found that the hydrant point motor of the fire safety system of the building was not in running condition. As per the norms, each high-rise building should have a storage facility of 10,000 gallons of water, especially for fire safety, which is ignored in most high-rise apartments.

The officials are also critical of the state of fire escapes in these buildings. They allege that even some buildings do not have any fire escape facility.

As per norms any building higher than 15 meters should have fire extinguishers, a hose reel, automatic sprinklers, a special terrace tank exclusively for fire safety, underground static tank for water storage etc. Storage of water and space for entry of fire brigade vehicles is a must as in urban areas. Source: The Hindu